Phillies Nation Podcast 23: Chuck Hixson

On today’s podcast, Pat Gallen chats with Chuck Hixson, a Phillies minor league insider for Phillybaseballnews.com, part of the Scout.com network for Fox Sports. Pat and Chuck discuss the minor league prospects changing hands in the Roy Halladay-Cliff Lee megadeal. They also give opinions on Kyle Drabek and what his loss means to the farm system, as well as Domonic Brown and his role as the big shot in the minors.

Pat also gives an opinion on the statements made by Dave Montgomery yesterday on ESPN Radio. He stated that the Phillies are “in the red” and are not making money as everyone thinks. Pat blasts the Phillies owner and sides with the fans on this subject.

Chuck is the Phillies minor league insider for Phillybaseballnews.com which is part of the Scout network for Fox. He was formerly the Washington Nationals Examiner for Examiner.com. You can check him out on Twitter here.

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6 Comments

Shawn Qwarts

December 18, 2009 at 7:13 pm

Decent podcast. I’d like to hear more of these regarding the minor league system and the development of the players. Also, Tyson Gilles will be a stud. He is fast, hits line drives and has a real good eye. Keep an eye on him. You will be pleased.

Hey, it was an ok podcast. I would also have liked to hear more about our players on the farm like Trever May and Velle. the trade was a very tough hit to our farm but you do have to understand that we were going to have to give up a lot for Halladay. On the other hand Monty is a scumbag he will not be happy until he can pocket as much money as he can. Makes you think about that other Montgomery…….BURNS.

If the phillies are in the red after three post season appearance, and two world series and 81 sellouts, three and half million attendance, and spent nothing in international market last year, and lowest spending team in the baseball draft, then i will eat my hat.I will be making collection for the phillies owners at the eagles games.

we do have to remember trading Lee despite the claim it wasn’t financially motivated doesn’t just save $9m but likely another approximate $2m in prospect signing bonuses.

I really do understand the frustration in trading Drabek, I loved that kid even when he was a bull-headed teenager rehabbing from TJ surgery but the insiders pretty much have a consensus opinion that the Halladay deal wasn’t fantastic for Toronto as high as we are on the guys we sent. If the deal wasn’t great for Toronto, considering part of the deal was locking Halladay up the prospects acquired for Lee wasn’t bad, not great but all 3 guys are considered ‘Carrasco/Donald type’ prospect capable of making the majors not just long-shots. We have top tier talent in the majors and we have an absolute glut of guys like Mayberry, Carpenter, Bastardo capable of fighting it out for the 4th outfield spot/5th starter/middle to late relievers who are the guys we really need as much as we’d love to bring up stud prospects.

At the end of the day as much as we focus on the here and now which makes us learn to love our prospects, the Phillies system is especially is going to look totally different in 18th months time and 18 months ago Drabek was all but ruled out even as trade bait, Taylor was an unknown and D’Arnaud looked like a questionable draft pick. There may be guys capable of ascending to bluchippers in the system already or that’ll soon be drafted we’ll be hearing about on that level, only time will tell and the last 5 years+ gives enough reason to think this team has or can find those guys.

I like to look at this deal this way, we give up two A and one B prospect as well as Cliff Lee headed to free agency for arguably the best pitcher in baseball signed for 4 years now with an option year and we bring 3 B guys into the farm with Ramirez from the sound of it being the guy who might rise to a Carrasco-like level at worst case. And we can’t moan at that considering the signing bonus new high draftees will cost and possibility that 1st round compensation could drop below that first round.

On the revenue thing I hope Monty just felt he had to appease what is the most vocal fanbase in sports, we don’t allow our club to be stand-offish about whats going on in the inside like Boston or the Angels.

Great podcast Pat, on a random looking at free agent relievers possibly available at budget how about Jose Contreras? Wonder if Amaro’s kicking the tyres with his versatility having had a similar year to Park’s last in LA in some respects…

Lee was trading for a bag of donuts nj i follow the minors, a lot and know we dont have one prospect ready to play in the infield, and now dont have a catcher we need a major reliever, if this wasn’t a salary dump why not get a infield propect from some other team and a reliever and a pitching prospect. they had time to make this deal, there are few pitcher left and of them lee is the best even if its one year. and as i stated before y could always grant a team a window to neg a extension of lee contract. what would he be worth then. he stated he woulnt do a extension in cleveland not here or other teams. and to say anything that praises these cheap bastard owners is nuts after three years of raking in money. and not spending money in the draft, lowest money spend last year and less than a million in the international market.Meanwhile they sellout allmost all home games plus the revenue from all those playoff games. and they are losing money give me a break. and y prove my point if they kept lee and didnt sign him they would have to spend money in the draft on the choices they receive, cheap bastard owners.

David Montgomery makes the Steinbrenner’s look herocally good. Why, Because the Steinbrenners do not cry cheap. As much as I HATE the Yankees, the Steinbrenners feel obligated and honored to be the keepers of the Yankee winning tradition. I wish they owned the Phillies.